A good thing about digital photos is that you can edit them, in case they don't turn out the way you want them to. Advanced editing software are either expensive or too difficult to handle. Or both. PhotoLine is a good alternative when it comes to correcting or adjusting images, as well as creating layouts, web galleries and more. If you worked with other image editing software before, you would have no trouble adapting to this one, due to its familiar design.

After downloading and running the 18 Mb package, a wizard will guide you through a few simple steps. The installation process will be fast, even on a computer with modest resources. Compatibility will not be an issue, since the software is available for most versions of Windows and Mac OS.

Like previously suggested, PhotoLine's interface resembles other editing software, like Adobe Photoshop. Toolbars can be found above the work area and the left edge of the window. You can use these for quick editing tasks like drawing, cropping, stamping, distorting, creating masks and more. Regardless of which tool you choose, they all work the same way: simply select the one you need, then click and drag over the image.

Other options can be found on the right edge of the window, in separate boxes. The top box will display adjustment options for a selected tool. For most of the tools, these involve using drop menus, check boxes or sliders. A picture's color information can be viewed on the middle box. When hovering the mouse over the image, this box will display a RGB composition as well as coordinates for that pixel you are hovering over. Because PhotoLite supports working with layers, experienced users will recognize the third box found on the right edge of the window. Here you can see the created layers, change their order with drag and drop actions, duplicate or delete them and so on. It is also possible to enable or disable color channels (red, green, or blue) in the same tool box.

Many other features can be found in the top menus. When adding certain effects, like mosaics, waves, distortions and others, a small window will show up where you can adjust the effect with simple sliders or drop menus. Filters can be added the same way. Just find the one you need in a top menu and adjust it according to your needs. Some of them will be applied immediately, without having to interact with an options window.

Images are not all you can edit. When creating a new project, you may start from a certain template like a business card, CD booklet or cover, fax, letter and more. When your work is complete, you can save it in various formats such as JPEG, PNG, PSD, TXT, DXF (vector graphic), ICO, CUR (Windows cursor) and more.

Pros: The features PhotoLine offers are more than basic and they can be used without too much effort. Besides image editing, the program lets you create and edit certain layouts and it places a series of templates at your disposal to make it easier.

Cons: When launching the trial version, you have to wait for ten seconds before getting started.

If you need to process images, create HTML galleries, perform DPT tasks or others, you can do it all with PhotoLine. It combines flexible features with an easy to understand interface, making it a good alternative to any expensive editing software.